The follow-up to director Ari Aster’s dark and horrifying “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” is bright and yet still pretty horrifying.

If you have seen anything from “Midsommar” so far,
it’s probably the setting. The film takes place in a pastoral Swedish village.
The sets are bright. The clothing is white. It’s Sweden, basically everything
we have been told is nice and pleasant and safe. Except this is the director of
“Hereditary,” so you know truly messed up
things are going to happen.

And they do. Part of the fun is seeing how Aster can take
the elements of purity and defile them into something deranged. Fun! But at
this movie’s core, it is really about the breakdown of a relationship and
dealing with grief when you are utterly alone. And, of course, ritualistic
Swedish pagan cults.